Archinect - News2016-12-09T20:40:49-05:00http://archinect.com/news/article/149970082/the-end-of-shenzhen-s-baishizhou-urban-village
The end of Shenzhen’s Baishizhou 'urban village' Alexander Walter2016-09-22T15:37:00-04:00>2016-09-29T15:22:15-04:00<img src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/650x/g6/g6xqpwih3loh4ni2.jpg" width="650" height="488" border="0" title="" alt="" /><em><p>&ldquo;Village&rdquo; may not seem like the right term for a cluster of tenement-style walkups that can house more than 100,000 people.&nbsp;Chengzhongcun&nbsp;hang onto the name partly because of the familiarity evoked by the traditions and small-scale businesses that thrive among their migrant populations, and partly because when modern Shenzhen began growing, these places really were just villages in the middle of the city.</p></em><br /><br /><p>Related stories in the Archinect news:</p><ul><li><a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/149961213/a-tragic-tale-of-live-and-let-die-development-on-shanghai-s-street-of-eternal-happiness" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A tragic tale of live-and-let-die development on Shanghai's Street of Eternal Happiness</a></li><li><a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/149962264/ai-weiwei-calls-modern-chinese-architecture-fatalistic" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ai Weiwei calls modern Chinese architecture 'fatalistic'</a></li><li><a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/149944440/take-a-look-at-the-rapid-urbanization-of-china-s-pearl-river-delta" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Take a look at the rapid urbanization of China's Pearl River Delta</a></li></ul>http://archinect.com/news/article/149947531/jan-gehl-never-ask-what-the-city-can-do-for-your-building-always-ask-what-your-building-can-do-for-the-city
Jan Gehl: "Never ask what the city can do for your building, always ask what your building can do for the city." Alexander Walter2016-05-25T20:18:00-04:00>2016-08-25T09:39:57-04:00<img src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/650x/cc/cccc856ad05c91c45f2afc1ee0b379d9.jpg" width="650" height="434" border="0" title="" alt="" /><em><p>I&rsquo;m not so critical about New York, because they have this very firm grid-pattern. Even the newer buildings are lined up on good streets. If you stand in front of the Empire State Building, you can&rsquo;t really guess how tall it is, because it meets the street in a friendly way. [...] It&rsquo;s not so important how high the building is, or how much it looks like a perfume bottle, it&rsquo;s more important how it interacts with the city.</p></em><br /><br /><p>Related stories in the Archinect news:</p><ul><li><a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/135033470/jan-gehl-s-perspective-on-making-a-good-urban-habitat-for-homo-sapiens" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jan Gehl's perspective on making "a good urban habitat for homo sapiens"</a></li><li><a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/115580917/is-jan-gehl-winning-his-battle-to-make-our-cities-liveable" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Is Jan Gehl winning his battle to make our cities liveable?</a></li><li><a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/149814167/how-to-design-that-elusive-perfect-town" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">How to design that elusive "Perfect Town"</a></li></ul>http://archinect.com/news/article/149943710/how-jane-jacobs-continues-to-be-an-influential-force-in-city-planning
How Jane Jacobs continues to be an influential force in city planning Justine Testado2016-05-04T14:19:00-04:00>2016-05-18T01:34:57-04:00<img src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/650x/mk/mkvr3w2krj0f65hl.jpg" width="650" height="470" border="0" title="" alt="" /><em><p>She would ask us to look at the consequences of these sub-economies for the city &ndash; for its people, its neighbourhoods, and the visual orders involved...Talking with Jacobs, it became clear that community battles were, for her, simply part of a wider inquiry as she sought to better understand, and develop concepts for, the role of cities in the economy.</p></em><br /><br /><p>And if you haven't already noticed it, there's <a href="http://google.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a special Google Doodle</a> celebrating Jacobs' 100th birthday.</p><p><img title="" alt="" src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/650x/ly/lyiqow9m56qtyq6z.jpg"></p><p>More on Archinect:</p><p><a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/149942780/u-s-transportation-secretary-foxx-on-the-troubled-relationship-between-infrastructure-and-race-we-ought-to-do-it-better-than-we-did-it-the-last-time" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">U.S. Transportation Secretary Foxx on the troubled relationship between infrastructure and race: "We ought to do it better than we did it the last time"</a></p><p><a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/140944999/a-closer-look-at-the-often-complicated-relationship-between-placemaking-and-gentrification" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A closer look at the often complicated relationship between placemaking and gentrification</a></p><p><a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/127114495/built-for-humans-bryce-t-bauer-interviews-sharon-zukin" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Built for Humans: Bryce T. Bauer interviews Sharon Zukin</a></p><p><a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/98609735/robert-moses-vs-jane-jacobs-the-opera" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Robert Moses vs. Jane Jacobs: The Opera</a></p>http://archinect.com/news/article/149814167/how-to-design-that-elusive-perfect-town
How to design that elusive "Perfect Town" Alexander Walter2016-03-07T13:49:00-05:00>2016-03-17T22:04:51-04:00<img src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/650x/36/365xgq132suukl1l.jpg" width="650" height="433" border="0" title="" alt="" /><em><p>This got us thinking about what it takes to build an ideal town: should pubs be on every residential corner or on the high street? How many trendy coffee shops are too many? Are libraries still a thing? We didn't have the answers to any of those questions, so we spoke to Matt Richards &ndash; a planner at property consultancy Bidwells &ndash; to find out what makes the perfect town.</p></em><br /><br /><p>Related stories in the Archinect news:</p><ul><li><a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/148270911/turning-the-ugliest-building-in-liverpool-into-an-exemplar-of-public-health" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Turning the &ldquo;ugliest building in Liverpool&rdquo; into an exemplar of public health</a></li><li><a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/139329876/urbanism-as-a-public-health-issue-oklahoma-city-s-battle-with-obesity" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Urbanism as a public health issue: Oklahoma City's battle with obesity</a></li><li><a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/135033470/jan-gehl-s-perspective-on-making-a-good-urban-habitat-for-homo-sapiens" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jan Gehl's perspective on making "a good urban habitat for homo sapiens"</a></li><li><a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/135187854/how-urban-designers-can-better-address-mental-health-in-their-work-according-to-a-new-think-tank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">How urban designers can better address mental health in their work, according to a new think tank</a></li></ul>http://archinect.com/news/article/149277698/rem-koolhaas-and-kunl-adeyemi-sit-down-with-guardian-cities-to-discuss-lagos
Rem Koolhaas and Kunlé Adeyemi sit down with Guardian Cities to discuss Lagos Alexander Walter2016-02-29T14:53:00-05:00>2016-03-01T11:55:33-05:00<img src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/650x/va/va5c885wrubpt58h.jpg" width="650" height="325" border="0" title="" alt="" /><em><p>In 1997 two architects set out to rethink Lagos, an African megacity that had been largely abandoned by the state. Amid the apparent chaos and crime, they discovered remarkable patterns of organisation. Two decades later, Rem Koolhaas and Kunl&eacute; Adeyemi discuss the past, present and future of the city &ndash; and reveal why their own project never saw the light of day</p></em><br /><br /><p><em>"...it was the ultimate dysfunctional city &ndash; but actually, in terms of all the initiatives and ingenuity, it mobilised an incredibly beautiful, almost utopian landscape of independence and agency."</em> - Rem Koolhaas</p><p>Related stories in the Archinect news:</p><ul><li><a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/102646363/koolhaas-guides-viewers-through-bustling-lagos-in-this-interactive-documentary" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Koolhaas guides viewers through bustling Lagos in this interactive documentary</a></li><li><a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/148970317/what-makoko-can-teach-about-organic-urban-development" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">What Makoko can teach about "organic" urban development</a></li><li><a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/68859546/in-lagos-the-poorest-are-paying-the-price-of-progress" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">In Lagos the poorest are paying the price of progress</a></li></ul>http://archinect.com/news/article/148814474/masdar-abandons-its-dream-of-becoming-the-first-zero-carbon-city
Masdar abandons its dream of becoming the first zero-carbon city Alexander Walter2016-02-23T14:33:00-05:00>2016-02-23T23:20:24-05:00<img src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/650x/94/949npvql1boi3wq4.jpg" width="650" height="433" border="0" title="" alt="" /><em><p>Masdar City, when it was first conceived a decade ago, was intended to revolutionise thinking about cities and the built environment.
Now the world&rsquo;s first planned sustainable city &ndash; the marquee project of the United Arab Emirates&rsquo; (UAE) plan to diversify the economy from fossil fuels - could well be the world&rsquo;s first green ghost town.
As of this year [...] managers have given up on the original goal of building the world&rsquo;s first planned zero-carbon city.</p></em><br /><br /><p>Masdar City previously in the Archinect news:</p><ul><li><a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/121764468/get-a-drone-s-eye-view-of-foster-partners-masdar-city-in-abu-dhabi" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Get a drone's eye view of Foster + Partners' Masdar City in Abu Dhabi</a></li><li><a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/58477951/fully-charged-visits-foster-designed-masdar-city" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Fully Charged visits Foster-designed Masdar City</a></li><li><a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/5973420/inside-masdar-city-a-modern-mirage" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Inside Masdar City: a modern mirage</a></li></ul>http://archinect.com/news/article/148738150/curating-the-city-urban-designer-alan-loomis-on-archinect-sessions-one-to-one-12
Curating the City: urban designer Alan Loomis on Archinect Sessions One-to-One #12 Amelia Taylor-Hochberg2016-02-22T18:20:00-05:00>2016-02-23T02:04:12-05:00<img src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/650x/md/mdiuw6f6824g89l7.jpg" width="514" height="333" border="0" title="" alt="" /><p>As Deputy Director for Urban Design and Mobility in Glendale, CA, a teacher of urban design at Woodbury University, and one of the Mayor's appointees on the City of Pasadena's Design Commission, <a href="http://archinect.com/alanloomis" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Alan Loomis</a>&nbsp;has thoroughly installed himself in the shifting scene of southern Californian urbanism. After moving from Michigan to get his MArch at SCI-Arc in the late 1990s, Loomis has seen enough of Los Angeles' urbanism to be convinced that whatever post-sprawl paradigm gets adopted here will become the guidebook for many more cities in the US, particularly those ever-expanding desert cities in the southwest.</p><p>Loomis joined me in Archinect's studio to talk about urban design in the public and private realms, pedagogical approaches to urban design vs. urban planning, and his earlier days in LA as an Archinect editor.</p><p>Listen to One-to-One #12 with&nbsp;<strong>Alan Loomis</strong>:</p><ul><li><strong>iTunes</strong>:&nbsp;<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/neil-denari/id1057340260?i=356797877" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here to listen&nbsp;and subscribe to the new&nbsp;"Archinect Sessions One-to-One" podcast</a></li><li><strong>SoundCloud</strong>:&nbsp;<a href="http://soundcloud.com/archinect" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">click here to follow Archinect</a></li><li><strong>R...</strong></li></ul>http://archinect.com/news/article/144427543/china-hopes-to-improve-its-cities-with-newly-released-urban-planning-vision
China hopes to improve its cities with newly released urban planning vision Alexander Walter2015-12-28T14:54:00-05:00>2016-01-17T00:45:18-05:00<img src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/650x/xv/xvyh7izuk6foeq1a.jpg" width="650" height="433" border="0" title="" alt="" /><em><p>China has detailed its urban planning vision, which has been designed to make its sprawling cities more inclusive, safer and better places to live.
[...] policymakers pledged to transform urban development patterns and improve city management.
The last time China held such a high-level meeting was in 1978, when only 18 percent of the population lived in cities. By the end of 2011, in excess of 50 percent of the population called the city their home.</p></em><br /><br /><p>Related news on Archinect:</p><ul><li><a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/107557388/china-considering-drastic-ban-on-coal" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">China considering drastic ban on coal</a></li><li><a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/143895090/disastrous-landslide-burying-dozens-in-shenzhen-likely-caused-by-piled-up-soil-from-construction-work" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Disastrous landslide burying dozens in Shenzhen likely caused by piled up soil from construction work</a></li><li><a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/142916001/beijing-s-latest-airpocalypse-is-bad-enough-for-city-to-issue-first-ever-red-alert" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Beijing's latest "airpocalypse" is bad enough for city to issue first ever red alert</a></li><li><a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/120430562/china-s-most-influential-architect-is-not-pleased-with-the-state-of-chinese-urbanism" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">China&rsquo;s "most influential architect" is not pleased with the state of Chinese urbanism</a></li></ul>http://archinect.com/news/article/140828555/how-one-urban-planner-is-helping-revamp-a-miami-suburb-without-gentrification
How one urban planner is helping revamp a Miami suburb "without gentrification" Justine Testado2015-11-10T20:20:00-05:00>2015-11-17T23:27:48-05:00<img src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/650x/67/67vdxhragrdml7nj.jpg" width="650" height="434" border="0" title="" alt="" /><em><p>Germane Barnes wants Opa-Locka to be known for something else...He knows [change] can happen because he lives there, and has seen the work of a group of artists and organizers slowly change the landscape...The city's history intrigued him, not merely because it seemed like a perfect case study for his thesis about revitalizing a community without gentrification, but because it also spoke to his own experiences.</p></em><br /><br /><p>More on Archinect:</p><p><a title="In Chicago, forming economically integrated suburbs is more complex than it looks" href="http://archinect.com/news/article/132341095/in-chicago-forming-economically-integrated-suburbs-is-more-complex-than-it-looks" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">In Chicago, forming economically integrated suburbs is more complex than it looks</a></p><p><a title="Welcome to Evanston, Illinois: the carless suburbia" href="http://archinect.com/news/article/139609547/welcome-to-evanston-illinois-the-carless-suburbia" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Welcome to Evanston, Illinois: the carless suburbia</a></p><p><a title="Berliners are getting their hopes up for transformed Kulturforum arts district" href="http://archinect.com/news/article/134492229/berliners-are-getting-their-hopes-up-for-transformed-kulturforum-arts-district" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Berliners are getting their hopes up for transformed Kulturforum arts district</a></p><p><a title="With a little compromise, illegal urban squats like Ljubljana's Metelkova Mesto can do a city good" href="http://archinect.com/news/article/132661925/with-a-little-compromise-illegal-urban-squats-like-ljubljana-s-metelkova-mesto-can-do-a-city-good" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">With a little compromise, illegal urban squats like Ljubljana's Metelkova Mesto can do a city good</a></p>http://archinect.com/news/article/140751379/egypt-s-challenges-to-build-its-new-capital-city
Egypt's challenges to build its new capital city Alexander Walter2015-11-09T17:38:00-05:00>2015-11-17T22:13:54-05:00<img src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/650x/y1/y1cfcn12b36e4s4d.jpg" width="650" height="434" border="0" title="" alt="" /><em><p>Cairo is an unruly urban sprawl that has spun out of control. Now, officials want to build a new capital in the desert -- a potent symbol of President Sisi's regime. But will it ever happen? [...]
The old Cairo is an ugly city, an affront to the senses. [...] a city of contradictions, created from the bottom up, even though that had never been the intention. It has been growing wildly since the 1960s -- from 3.5 million back then to 18 million now -- against the will of the country's rulers.</p></em><br /><br /><p><img title="" alt="" src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/650x/1u/1uyszip51wwrjtvw.jpg"></p><p>Previously in the Archinect News:</p><ul><li><a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/123673983/a-new-capital-for-cairo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A New "Capital" for Cairo?</a></li><li><a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/131511155/egypt-s-urban-growth-threatens-nile-farmland" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Egypt's urban growth threatens Nile farmland</a></li><li><a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/118984560/photographer-documents-egypt-s-monumental-housing-developments-in-the-desert" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Photographer documents Egypt's monumental housing developments in the desert</a></li></ul>http://archinect.com/news/article/139098639/simcity-and-beyond-the-history-of-city-building-games
SimCity and beyond: the history of city-building games Alexander Walter2015-10-16T13:28:00-04:00>2015-10-24T15:23:58-04:00<img src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/650x/mx/mx1kl663h33qgks9.jpg" width="650" height="488" border="0" title="" alt="" /><em><p>Cities are everywhere. Billions of us live in them, and many of us think we could do a better job than the planners. But for the past 26 years dating back to the original SimCity, we've mostly been proving that idea false. [...]
And now, here, I'm going to take you on a whirlwind tour through the history of the city-building genre&mdash;from its antecedents to the hot new thing.</p></em><br /><br /><p>Related on Archinect:</p><ul><li><a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/120370298/the-issue-of-homelessness-in-simcity" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The issue of homelessness in SimCity</a></li><li><a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/122202906/how-video-game-engines-may-influence-the-future-of-architecture-and-everything-else" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">How video game engines may influence the future of architecture (and everything else)</a></li><li><a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/70162301/three-guiding-principles-for-a-fine-fake-metropolis" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Three guiding principles for a fine fake metropolis</a></li></ul>http://archinect.com/news/article/134589596/mit-s-placelet-sensors-technologize-old-fashioned-observation-methods-for-placemaking
MIT's "Placelet" sensors technologize old-fashioned observation methods for placemaking Justine Testado2015-08-18T19:49:00-04:00>2015-08-19T11:55:27-04:00<img src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/650x/2g/2gywucmqw4npkk9c.jpg" width="620" height="414" border="0" title="" alt="" /><em><p>With a $35,000 grant from the Knight Prototype Fund, [MITs Elizabeth Christoforetti] and her team are working on a project called Placelet, which will track how pedestrians move through a particular space. They&rsquo;re developing a network of sensors that will track the scale and speed of pedestrians [and vehicles] over long periods of time. The sensors, [currently being tested in downtown Boston], will also track the 'sensory experience' by recording the noise level and air quality of that space.</p></em><br /><br /><p>More on Archinect:</p><p><a href="http://archinect.com/features/article/106956389/the-life-of-a-new-architect-elizabeth-christoforetti" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Life of a New Architect: Elizabeth Christoforetti</a>&nbsp;(Featured interview)</p><p><a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/107714855/mit-s-mindrider-helmet-draws-mental-maps-as-you-bike" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">MIT's MindRider helmet draws mental maps as you bike</a></p><p><a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/100931500/mit-s-newest-invention-fits-all-the-furniture-you-need-in-one-closet-sized-box" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">MIT's Newest Invention Fits All the Furniture You Need in One Closet-Sized Box</a></p><p><a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/83383390/mit-develops-self-assembling-modular-robots" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">MIT develops self-assembling modular robots</a></p>http://archinect.com/news/article/130972585/could-google-s-sidewalk-labs-help-alleviate-urban-city-problems
Could Google's Sidewalk Labs help alleviate urban city problems? Justine Testado2015-07-03T12:33:00-04:00>2015-07-03T13:07:35-04:00<img src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/650x/0t/0t7jeaj3kktvpdy0.jpg" width="650" height="247" border="0" title="" alt="" /><em><p>It&rsquo;s this inevitable dichotomy between data and real life that will likely define [Google's] Sidewalk Labs...There&rsquo;s a naivety to their worldview that might help to get things done inside a company but could prove a hurdle to progress in the public realm. Yes, the region does need more housing, but the politics of how, where, and when that housing is built are far more nuanced than Google can apparently handle.</p></em><br /><br /><p>The cloud of speculation surrounding Google as of late only grows bigger with the tech giant's&nbsp; recent launch of its independent start-up, <a href="http://sidewalkinc.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sidewalk Labs</a>. Charging further into Google's real-world endeavors, the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/11/technology/sidewalk-labs-a-start-up-created-by-google-has-bold-aims-to-improve-city-living.html?_r=0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"urban innovation company"</a> vies "to improve city life for everyone through the application of technology to solve urban problems" like curbing energy use, creating more affordable housing, cutting pollution, and streamlining transportation. Could Sidewalk Labs potentially ease the growing pains of real-life urban cities, or is Google just spewing more technocratic rhetoric?</p>http://archinect.com/news/article/116114669/study-links-walkable-neighborhoods-to-prevention-of-cognitive-decline
Study Links Walkable Neighborhoods to Prevention of Cognitive Decline Amelia Taylor-Hochberg2014-12-16T13:33:00-05:00>2014-12-18T20:19:11-05:00<img src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/650x/hy/hyurqgf4n94497og.jpg" width="650" height="423" border="0" title="" alt="" /><em><p>In a study&nbsp;presented last weekend to the Gerontological Society of America, University of Kansas assistant professor&nbsp;Amber Watts examined 26 subjects with mild Alzheimer&rsquo;s Disease and 30 healthy control subjects.&nbsp;She tracked health outcomes over two years, controlling for home price, income, gender, and education. [...]
"Our findings suggest that people with neighborhoods that require more mental complexity actually experience less decline in their mental functioning over time.&rdquo;</p></em><br /><br /><!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd">
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http://archinect.com/news/article/115580917/is-jan-gehl-winning-his-battle-to-make-our-cities-liveable
Is Jan Gehl winning his battle to make our cities liveable? Alexander Walter2014-12-09T15:24:00-05:00>2015-08-21T03:22:29-04:00<img src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/650x/33/33ab875049604cf10aefdf6d08d2da81.jpg" width="620" height="413" border="0" title="" alt="" /><em><p>Ahead of a special Guardian Cities event, the renowned urban &lsquo;rethinker&rsquo; says cities should be six or seven storeys high, Helsinki is on the verge of revolution, and that he&rsquo;s sceptical of London&rsquo;s cycle superhighway plans [...]
Practice partner S&oslash;holt puts forward one way of improving a city&rsquo;s liveability: &ldquo;Mix the city and assemble the people rather than dispersing them.&rdquo;</p></em><br /><br /><!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd">
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http://archinect.com/news/article/109814027/an-illustrated-history-of-canberra-the-australian-capital-designed-by-american-architects
An illustrated history of Canberra, the Australian capital designed by American architects Amelia Taylor-Hochberg2014-09-25T20:13:00-04:00>2014-10-01T23:27:08-04:00<img src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/650x/i2/i2rgm9pcov989twd.jpg" width="650" height="592" border="0" title="" alt="" /><p>Cartoonist and journalist <a href="http://elerimai.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Eleri Mai Harris</a> tells&nbsp;the story of Canberra's creation by architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahoney Griffin (who also happened to be married to one another, and worked with Frank Lloyd Wright).</p><p>Read the piece in full, gorgeous watercolor on <em>Medium</em>:&nbsp;<a href="https://medium.com/re-form/the-utopian-city-that-wasnt-fba57df43875" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Utopian City That Wasn't:&nbsp;How two American architects won a competition to design Australia&rsquo;s capital in 1912</a></p>http://archinect.com/news/article/109722333/seven-myths-about-new-urbanism
Seven Myths About New Urbanism Alexander Walter2014-09-24T15:21:00-04:00>2014-09-24T19:31:17-04:00<img src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/650x/fi/fi93eax346528oo0.jpg" width="650" height="434" border="0" title="" alt="" /><em><p>Joel Kotkin, a fellow at Chapman University and an untiring defender of the suburbs, begins a recent column in the Washington Post with a valid question: &ldquo;What is a city for?&rdquo; He then proceeds to get that question completely wrong. But really, we should be thanking him. In his article, he neatly sums up many of the key myths emerging from the anti-urbanism set, making my job of debunking these myths a lot easier.</p></em><br /><br /><p>The aforementioned WP column already managed to spark a lively discussion last month <a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/106633556/the-people-designing-your-cities-don-t-care-what-you-want-they-re-planning-for-hipsters" target="_blank">here on Archinect</a>.</p>http://archinect.com/news/article/109658067/u-s-dot-to-publish-its-own-manual-on-protected-bike-lanes
U.S. DOT to Publish Its Own Manual on Protected Bike Lanes Alexander Walter2014-09-23T19:20:00-04:00>2014-09-30T13:40:36-04:00<img src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/650x/53/53f8aa25d598d2b4e5fc5729e74b51c5.jpg" width="650" height="608" border="0" title="" alt="" /><em><p>Before the end of this year, the Federal Highway Administration will release its own guidance on designing protected bike lanes.
The agency&rsquo;s positions on bicycling infrastructure has matured in recent years. Until recently, U.S. DOT&rsquo;s policy was simple adherence to outdated and stodgy manuals like AASHTO&rsquo;s Green Book and FHWA&rsquo;s own Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) &mdash; neither of which included protected bike lanes.</p></em><br /><br /><!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd">
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http://archinect.com/news/article/108483140/seoul-s-official-architect-seung-h-sang-on-his-capital-vision
Seoul’s official architect Seung H-Sang on his capital vision Amelia Taylor-Hochberg2014-09-08T13:37:00-04:00>2014-09-09T21:41:27-04:00<img src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/650x/6c/6caa2b7f7a02f7a2b6c09e793bb50be0.jpg" width="600" height="338" border="0" title="" alt="" /><em><p>&ldquo;The first thing is to find the identity of Seoul,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;Seoul was created very differently from western cities, with special theories of feng shui and Confucianism, and we kept that for 600 years. We didn&rsquo;t change anything &ndash; even under Japanese colonialism, that was kept. But since the 1960s, under American influence, it has changed very much.&rdquo;
If Seung has his way, the days of skyscrapers springing up in central Seoul would come to an end.</p></em><br /><br /><!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd">
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http://archinect.com/news/article/108251982/the-soviet-city-is-dead-long-live-beijing
The Soviet city is dead: long live Beijing Alexander Walter2014-09-05T13:38:00-04:00>2014-09-09T22:24:32-04:00<img src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/650x/6a/6ac9c7658d14f0c9ad7975ff5d63838e.jpg" width="460" height="276" border="0" title="" alt="" /><em><p>Architecture theorist Jacob Dreyer explains how the Stalinist model of urbanism &ndash; a centrally planned component within a national economic unity &ndash; is thriving in modern China</p></em><br /><br /><!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd">
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http://archinect.com/news/article/107635330/the-british-countryside-family-who-are-designing-entire-cities-in-iraq
The British countryside family who are designing entire cities in Iraq Alexander Walter2014-08-28T13:38:00-04:00>2014-09-03T19:13:21-04:00<img src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/650x/c3/c3185589171dfa72c8e7c90ece3a5111.jpg" width="460" height="276" border="0" title="" alt="" /><em><p>&ldquo;The cities we&rsquo;re working on were neglected by Saddam Hussein, so they have little basic infrastructure,&rdquo; says Elliot Hartley, 36, a director of Garsdale Design. But why can&rsquo;t Iraqis redesign their own cities? &ldquo;There has been a massive brain drain of professionals from Iraq over the years, and a lack of investment in local government planning departments, which means that the skills aren&rsquo;t there &ndash; yet,&rdquo; [...].
More improbably yet, only one member of the family firm [...] has set foot in Iraq.</p></em><br /><br /><!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd">
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http://archinect.com/news/article/107480758/why-haven-t-china-s-cities-learned-from-america-s-mistakes
Why haven't China's cities learned from America's mistakes? Alexander Walter2014-08-26T13:43:00-04:00>2014-09-03T23:18:11-04:00<img src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/650x/8e/8e5c23594fcc3e06cecd76188cbde600.jpg" width="460" height="276" border="0" title="" alt="" /><em><p>In the wake of economic reforms in the 1990s that helped set off the largest urban migration in history, China had the rare opportunity to embrace cutting-edge city-building approaches as it expanded its skyline. It could have avoided the mistakes that made Los Angeles into the land of gridlock, or bypassed the errors that turned the banlieues of Paris into what one American planner calls &ldquo;festering urban sores&rdquo;.
But China looked back instead of forward.</p></em><br /><br /><p>Meanwhile in Africa: <a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/106017728/urban-china-chinese-urbanism-in-africa" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Urban China: Chinese Urbanism in Africa</a></p>http://archinect.com/news/article/106633556/the-people-designing-your-cities-don-t-care-what-you-want-they-re-planning-for-hipsters
The people designing your cities don’t care what you want. They’re planning for hipsters. Amelia Taylor-Hochberg2014-08-15T13:45:00-04:00>2014-09-09T13:29:26-04:00<img src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/650x/hh/hhpnk7wt63kp52l3.jpg" width="640" height="426" border="0" title="" alt="" /><em><p>current conventional wisdom embraces density, sky-high scrapers, vastly expanded mass transit and ever-smaller apartments. It reflects a desire to create an ideal locale for hipsters and older, sophisticated urban dwellers. [...]
Overlooked, or even disdained, is what most middle-class residents of the metropolis actually want: home ownership, rapid access to employment throughout the metropolitan area, good schools and &ldquo;human scale&rdquo; neighborhoods.</p></em><br /><br /><!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd">
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http://archinect.com/news/article/105878677/reimagining-planning-in-the-urban-global-south
Reimagining Planning in the Urban Global South Alexander Walter2014-08-05T18:37:00-04:00>2014-08-06T13:36:51-04:00<img src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/650x/3a/3a0f3224d644b6d1249fd1b513e6aab5.jpg" width="640" height="480" border="0" title="" alt="" /><em><p>I asked myself the question: so what struck me about the process of thinking across boundaries and reimagining planning in the issues that we have been discussing in our celebration of DPU [The Bartlett Development Planning Unit]&rsquo;s 60th anniversary in this conference. At the risk of simplifying a complex and dynamic set of discussions, I want to make six points.</p></em><br /><br /><!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd">
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http://archinect.com/news/article/105555322/plans-approved-for-damien-hirst-s-village-on-the-british-coast
Plans approved for Damien Hirst's village on the British coast Amelia Taylor-Hochberg2014-08-01T14:07:00-04:00>2014-08-01T14:07:28-04:00<img src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/650x/04/0422ea7f8e7fafe3b443d085c90d8858.jpg" width="620" height="413" border="0" title="" alt="" /><em><p>Outline plans for the project were approved by the North Devon Council this week. The village will officially be known by the surprisingly prosaic name Southern Extension, and will include shops, a primary school, a sports pitch and woodlands. [...]
The project will include 75 affordable homes, and will be built over the next 10 to 15 years. Renderings show an extremely typical suburban town filled with identical houses and strolling pedestrians.</p></em><br /><br /><p>Hirst is collaborating with the <a href="http://www.rundellassociates.com/practice-profile" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Architects Rundell Associates</a>, who have yet to complete such a large scale project. Related news from the world's richest living artist:</p><ul><li><a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/38548368/artist-damien-hirst-s-eco-homes-vision-to-regenerate-town-is-unveiled" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Artist Damien Hirst's eco-homes vision to regenerate town is unveiled</a></li><li><a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/104862450/damien-hirst-s-london-art-space-due-to-open-next-spring" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Damien Hirst's London art space due to open next spring</a></li></ul>http://archinect.com/news/article/104403828/cities-thrive-most-when-they-are-a-tangled-mess
Cities thrive most when they are a tangled mess Alexander Walter2014-07-17T14:36:00-04:00>2014-07-22T18:30:02-04:00<img src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/650x/76/765844b262d69dec78f9d235a09baf24.jpg" width="650" height="407" border="0" title="" alt="" /><em><p>The city needs places of solace, calm, order and beauty &ndash; even prettiness. But prettiness and concealment are anaesthetic. The urban mind needs its regular confrontations with tangle, too, a bracing shock that places the world in perspective and informs us, without either warmth or rancour, that our lives are enmeshed in a vital mechanism. The city is a machine for teaching people to be city-dwellers: one made up of crushing cogs and steel.</p></em><br /><br /><!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd">
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http://archinect.com/news/article/103862310/exploring-and-collaborating-on-shared-use-mobility-services
Exploring and Collaborating on Shared-Use Mobility Services Alexander Walter2014-07-10T14:13:00-04:00>2014-07-16T20:01:17-04:00<img src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/650x/1d/1d9d3e2aa3cab03374a4b8fe5619494e.jpg" width="650" height="366" border="0" title="" alt="" /><em><p>In June, the &ldquo;Innovation in Mobility Public Policy Summit,&rdquo; sponsored by the Association for Commuter Transportation, Transportation Sustainability Research Center, Mobility Lab, Transit Center, and Shared-Use Mobility Center, brought together a range of participants to discuss these themes in Washington, DC.</p></em><br /><br /><p><em>At the summit, elected officials, transportation entrepreneurs, academics, and developers engaged with a number of questions including, &ldquo;What are new ways of solving urban mobility problems? How can we better design systems to address the needs of the public? Who should be engaged to make this happen?&rdquo; </em></p>http://archinect.com/news/article/98435205/nyc-chief-city-planner-amanda-burden-on-public-space-and-densification
NYC chief city planner Amanda Burden on public space and densification Amelia Taylor-Hochberg2014-04-21T13:07:00-04:00>2014-04-21T16:28:18-04:00<img src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/650x/xk/xkww242yn2k1pe1m.jpg" width="376" height="600" border="0" title="" alt="" /><em><p>If there is any one lesson that I have learned in my life as a city planner, it is that public spaces have power. It's not just the number of people using them, it's the even greater number of people who feel better about their city just knowing that they are there.
Public space can change how you live in a city, how you feel about a city, whether you choose one city over another, and public space is one of the most important reasons why you stay in a city.</p></em><br /><br /><p>Amanda Burden served as New York City's chief planner under Mayor Bloomberg, leading such revitalization projects as the High Line and Brooklyn's waterfront. You can watch the full TED talk below, or read the complete transcript <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/amanda_burden_how_public_spaces_make_cities_work/transcript" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>http://archinect.com/news/article/98205597/11-reasons-the-un-should-make-cities-the-focus-of-its-forthcoming-sustainable-development-goals
11 Reasons the UN Should Make Cities the Focus of Its Forthcoming Sustainable Development Goals Alexander Walter2014-04-17T13:44:00-04:00>2014-04-21T20:55:11-04:00<img src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/650x/65/65379ae8956a57d00d111e2abf85ea4d.jpg" width="650" height="306" border="0" title="" alt="" /><em><p>Last week I attended the seventh World Urban Forum in Medell&iacute;n, Colombia, where more than 20,000 city leaders, urbanists, and planners from more than 160 countries met to discuss the future of cities across the globe. [...]
Unfortunately, a number of important countries, the U.S. and Canada among them, remain worryingly undecided about joining this widespread call for a city-specific SDG from countries as diverse as Germany, Colombia, and Ghana.</p></em><br /><br /><!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd">
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http://archinect.com/news/article/97105525/without-urban-strategy-is-australia-planning-to-fail
Without Urban Strategy, is Australia Planning to Fail? Alexander Walter2014-04-02T14:32:00-04:00>2014-04-02T18:43:58-04:00<img src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/650x/0f/0f2610de9d5d074398981e0b3df18d96.jpg" width="650" height="359" border="0" title="" alt="" /><em><p>Just two years ago [...] Australia&rsquo;s previous government created the Major Cities Unit which outlined key long-term priorities for urban productivity and sustainability. Highly regarded by academia, as well as infrastructure, planning and property councils, the Unit showed promise for strategic city alignment, including investment into high-speed rail.
Today, all investment into the Unit has been withdrawn and momentum towards a national urban strategy has come to a halt.</p></em><br /><br /><!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd">
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